January 5 – Social Protection Workers' Day
The unemployment rate at the end of last year did not exceed 1% of the economically active population. For 11 months of 2016, wages increased by 5.4% compared to the corresponding period of 2015 and amounted to 611 rubles.
673 workplaces with harmful and (or) hazardous working conditions were brought into compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, and working conditions were improved at 385 workplaces. Occupational safety work has reduced the number of newly identified cases of occupational diseases. By the way, this indicator in the Vitebsk region has been the lowest in the country for several years.
– Our pension provision system operates smoothly. Pensions are paid monthly on established dates to almost a third of the residents of our region, – noted **Alexander Khristoforov, Chairman of the Committee for Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Regional Executive Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies.**
Over the last three years alone, about 5 million rubles have been invested in the development of the material and technical base of social institutions in the region, primarily nursing homes and round-the-clock care departments of territorial social service centers.
A stable system of economic support measures for families with children has been established in the republic, which includes various types of benefits, privileges, and guarantees in the areas of housing policy, labor and employment, social security, healthcare, and education. Currently, 11 types of state benefits are assigned to families raising children. For low-income families, state targeted social assistance is provided, which was received by about 45,000 citizens of the region last year.
– The objectives for 2017 for the region's social protection system are: an increase in the population's wage level, improvement of working conditions and prevention of occupational injuries, and ensuring more effective employment of the population. We plan to improve forms of social
of service and provision, in order to improve the standard and quality of life of our citizens, – said Alexander Nikolaevich. – I congratulate my colleagues on their professional holiday and wish all veterans and employees of the labor and social protection system good health, kindness, happiness, and well-being!”Elena Alimova. Photo by Anton STEPANISHCHEV. "Vitebskiye Vestnik".